go ahead and laugh (even if it hurts)
by cyclothimic
Summary: or Lexa and Clarke finally get their shit together, Lena and Kara are sappy and in love, and the rest of the gang are tired of their bullshit. [part 3 of scorelines]


**this is my first time writing such a clexa heavy fic, so please be kind. i try to keep lexa and clarke's characterization as accurate as possible, but really, tell me if you think i made any mistakes. but of course, in this universe, there's bound to be some supercorp as well.**

 **now, read, ponder, and enjoy!**

* * *

 _The blue and green below,_

 _Is a masterpiece._

 _But you are beautiful,_

 _Like I've never seen._

 _-Heart, Sleeping At Last_

* * *

The four of them huddled by the alley, watching as a couple stopped by a door. The slit situated in the middle of the door slid open and the male of the couple leaned down to say something. And then the door opened and the couple went in. Nothing seemed creepy at all.

"This looks sketchy," Lexa opined, staring at the once again empty alley with suspicion.

She was about ready to bolt. She would have if it wasn't for Clarke's arm that was securely linked through hers. Maybe she would pull Clarke along with her and go to the ice-cream store at the opposite side of the road. The ice-cream store looked safe. There was mint chocolate chip ice-cream in that store. She would really prefer mint chocolate chip over the risk of getting kidnapped and sold.

Jesus, why did she ever allow herself to be so whipped for Clarke Griffin?

All she wanted to do was stay in her room and study for her business law test in two months. Her blessedly single room with no roommate to bring boys or girls in, where she could be in _peace_. But no, no, because it was Friday and Clarke Griffin always had to do something on Fridays, anything that didn't include staying in and studying.

Lena hummed in agreement – she looked about ready to get the hell out of dodge as well. Perhaps they could be partners in safety. "It really does look sketchy." Lena shot a glare at her roommate. "How did you learn about this place again?"

Clarke shrugged, not at all perturbed by the sketchiness of it all. Instead, she seemed excited. Lexa thought first aiders were supposed to play it safe. "Raven told me about it."

"She's setting us up for murder," the brunette said, frown growing deeper when she watched a group of friends passed them and did the same thing the couple just now did. "Can we talk about how no one came out at all? It doesn't look safe to me."

"Lexa, it's freaking ten thirty. The party's just getting started," Clarke chastised, rolling her eyes. "And it's Raven's birthday. She'd kill me if I miss out on it because you two are cowards."

"There'll be cake, right?" Kara spoke up for the first time as she jumped on her toes, an excited smile tugging on her lips. "I'm always up for cake."

Lexa and Lena shared a skeptical look, a look that screamed _this is fucking crazy_ and _we're about to get murdered because these two blondes are fucking crazy_. The soccer player was seriously considering ditching her teammate and the girl she was in love with for the ice-cream across the street. Or maybe the library, Lena would agree, she was sure.

But before she could execute her escape plan, Clarke was already pulling her deeper into the alley. And because she was as whipped as cream, she went along despite the protests in her head. If she died, at least Clarke would die with her. That would teach her. Lena was reluctant behind them as well, but Kara wasn't giving her much of a choice as she had Lena's arm securely linked with hers.

Clarke shot Lexa an expectant look, and Lexa just groaned and rapped her fist on the metal door. The slit drew open with a loud hiss and a pair of ominous brown eyes appeared.

"Password," the monotonous voice demanded.

Lexa's brow rose. For once, she was glad that she had her taser hidden under her jacket.

She shifted and turned to Clarke, who leaned down and said, "Mashed potatoes." Lexa's brow went higher. That couldn't be the password.

But then the slit closed and the door opened. Turned out the owner of that voice was short and skinny man, probably mid-thirties, pretending to be a hipster with his man bun and goatee. She didn't understand straight people.

"Are you fucking with me?" Lena muttered from behind her, and Lexa had to agree. Clarke flashed the guy a smile and went in. When they passed the guy and made sure he was out of earshot, Lena told Kara, "I can't believe I'm about to die because I love you." And again, Lexa had to agree.

"Oh, don't be babies," Clarke said. Once they reached another door, she pushed it open and they were confronted with booming music, flashing lights, raucous laughter, and stench of sweat and alcohol. "I told you it's safe." Lexa would like to defer. "I see Raven, let's go." They maneuvered through the crowd and the brunette already had to reject five offers of drinks on their way. Seriously, they _just_ got here.

They reached their intended table, where all their groups were gathered. Kara's, Clarke's, Lexa's, and Lena's – they had all started hanging out together since Lena and Kara became official, and now there was no clear way of separating one from the other. Lexa was surprised that they could even find this big a table to fit all of them and leave space for the latecomers.

"Happy birthday!" Clarke yelled as soon as they reached the table.

When she detached her arm from Lexa, the brunette pretended to not care and made to sit down next to her sister, who was smirking at her knowingly. Lexa threw her a warning glance and stole her beer bottle from her, not caring that it tasted like dog's piss when she drank it all. If she was going to be forced to further strengthen her tentative friendship with these people, she was gonna need more than a bottle.

Understanding her predicament, Anya took two new brand new bottles from one of the many buckets sitting on the table and handed one to Lexa. Lena had detached herself from Kara as well and stole Anya's bottle, popping it open alongside Lexa and clinking them together before they each took considerable sips.

"Wow," Anya said, grabbing yet another bottle for herself. She watched them and then chuckled. "You and your blondes."

Lexa stared at Clarke who was talking happily with Raven and Bellamy, allowing a smile to emerge on her lips at the sight of Clarke's unabashed grin and loud voice. She shared a look with Lena, who had a helpless smile on her face as well.

Them and their blondes.

* * *

"What do you have planned for Thanksgiving?"

Lexa tapped her pen against her textbook, making sure she had her notes accurately jotted down in symmetrical lines on the margins. "Going back to DC with Anya," she absentmindedly said.

"We're having a dinner tonight before we go home. You wanna join?" Clarke asked.

"We?"

"The gang. All of us. Even Kara and Lena." Clarke paused. "You can bring Costia too if you want." Lexa looked up at the apprehending tone that Clarke had carried with the last statement. The blonde was smiling, but Lexa knew her well enough to recognize the hesitation in those blue eyes.

The brunette swallowed. "Costia is a just a friend," she clarified, although Clarke didn't ask for it.

Clarke hummed, lips twitching. "Doesn't seem like it," she muttered.

It had been almost two years since they started toeing the line between friendship and something more. One foot directly on the line and the other firmly behind, neither one brave enough to step past it. They both knew that there hadn't been anyone else for almost two years, but they just wouldn't say it. It was frustrating to their friends and it was frustrating to Lexa.

But she just wasn't sure about it. And Lexa never acted on anything she wasn't sure about. She would drop everything to be with Clarke in a second, but she just couldn't make the first move. No good ever came out of making first moves in her case, lesson learned after an entire childhood of disappointments.

Costia was in the cheerleading team and two years older. Recently, she and Lexa had started talking and sometimes even had coffee together. Lexa would be lying if she said that she hadn't considered it – the two of them together. Costia was kind, intelligent, active, and beautiful. She understood the rules of soccer and was always the second one to congratulate Lexa whenever she won. They would be really good together, Lexa knew that.

Except for one thing.

"Clarke."

"So you wanna?" Clarke asked.

She had learned long ago that while she was successful in many areas of her life, saying no to Clarke wasn't one of them. And she had accepted it. So she just nodded and said, "Okay." And then she went back to her studying. She smiled when Clarke clapped her hands in delight.

They parted ways two hours prior to the dinner. Half an hour before they were supposed to be at the restaurant, Clarke knocked on her door and Lexa opened it, wrapped in a towel and hair wet. Clarke made a choking noise as she stared at Lexa, wide eyed, and the brunette had to smirk in amusement. Honestly, the blonde had seen her in worse states than this, what with being a first aider and always the one in charge of healing her.

During the first few times, Lexa was the blushing one, reluctant to take off her shirt or shorts for Clarke to have a good look at her injuries, and Clarke was the shameless one, telling Lexa that she could either go on not getting to play soccer or just take off her damn shit like she had asked. The tables had turned now.

"I'm gonna need you to put on some underwear," Clarke finally said, her voice small and strained.

Lexa's smirk widened and she opened the door for Clarke to come in. "Just underwear?" she pointed out, standing by the wardrobe and allowing the ajar door to block Clarke from seeing her entirely naked. She had to be honest; there was a certain thrill to being wholly naked in the same room with Clarke. More preferable would be if Clarke was naked too, but that was just her fantasy.

" _Everything_ ," Clarke squeaked.

The blonde visibly sighed in relief when Lexa was closed the wardrobe door, fully dressed in a purple flannel, a leather jacket, a pair of jeans, and a black cap to top it off. But she also looked kind of dejected. The striker decided to let it go and grabbed her wallet and keys from the desk, pocketing all of them in her useful pockets. Clarke only snorted and shook her head, waiting for Lexa to get out before she closed the door behind them.

"Bags exist for a reason."

"My hands have better use than to carry bags," Lexa said. When Clarke smirked, she lifted a finger. "Don't even."

It was clear that the cold weather wasn't letting up when they were greeted with gusts of wind and chilly air outside the building. Lexa took note of the pedestrians huddled up in coats and beanies in attempts to protect themselves from the unforgiving signals of winter approaching. As she turned, she could see Clarke placing her arms around herself, staring around them warily.

"Are you cold?" Clarke looked to her and shook her head.

Lexa narrowed her eyes and started to take off her jacket. "What – Lexa, no!" But Lexa had already draped her jacket atop the first aider's shoulders, helping her put her arms into the sleeves. Once they were done, Lexa smiled, satisfied. "But now you're cold." Clarke pouted.

The brunette shrugged and started walking down the street. "I've been through worse," she said without conviction. "This is nothing."

She had been through worse. Being in the foster system meant that everything depended on luck. And sometimes, she and Anya would land in some bad luck and end up in homes that didn't really care about their well beings but the money that came with it. Lexa couldn't even count the number of times she had to hide under the bed in hopes that the cold wouldn't catch up to her.

This? This indication of approaching winter was nothing compared to the almost ice cubes she and Anya had become during the bad days. In fact, she rather enjoyed it. It was better to be in the cold willingly than to be shoved into it with no warning whatsoever.

Clarke caught up to her and inserted her arm in the space between Lexa's crooked elbow and oblique. Lexa wasn't sure if the warmth that spread through that side of hers was because of the body heat or just Clarke herself.

"Doesn't mean you have to be in the cold anyway," Clarke grumbled.

Lexa had to smile and pull Clarke closer. This was the thing about Clarke. She was always curious about everything, righteous when it came to the wrong, and absolutely hypocritical when it came to Lexa, but she never asked about Lexa's past, not even in the beginning of their friendship. Clarke had never once asked unless Lexa told her by her own accord. And Lexa – damn her heart – loved that about the blonde.

Fifteen minutes were all it took to reach the restaurant they had all agreed to gather at. During that journey, they talked about everything and nothing, not once approaching the lingering elephant that had only grown in size the longer they left it alone. Lexa relished in their time together, just alone with Clarke and no one else, enjoying the sound of her laughter and the rumble her chest took whenever she spoke.

Once again, they were the last to arrive, and as expected, their dinner party didn't let them off easy. But Lexa took it in with a smile and no word of defense, because if stalling on the way to the restaurant meant getting have more alone time with Clarke, she did not mind a couple of friendly ribbing here and there.

"I am thankful that Lena finally got me to ask her out," Kara said, encircling an arm around Lena's shoulders and kissing her on her cheek.

"We all know it was Lexa," Alex piped up, winking at Lexa.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lexa said with a smirk.

"I am thankful that Lexa planned that morning out for us," Lena opted in, smiling gratefully at her best friend.

Lexa rolled her eyes. "Once again, I don't know what you're talking about."

"She doesn't know what you're talking about, guys," Raven drawled mockingly.

"Yeah, she just hurt her knee. She didn't have time to think about finally getting her friends to see the light," Maggie joined in.

"Oh no, she just wanted to practice for the game. Necessarily getting Kara and Lena there as well," Bellamy said, knocking Lexa's shoulder with his. He only smiled wider when she mock glared at him.

"Yeah, my sister is not _that_ smart," Anya spoke.

"Because Lexa would _never_ manipulate her friends who care about her too much like that," James participated.

The girl in question groaned and buried her face in her hands. Honestly, if she had known she'd end up the victim of this much teasing, she wouldn't have agreed to Clarke's invitation in the first place. Her intention was only to get Kara and Lena in one place and have them sort things out their own way. And if they did end up finally getting together, then good for them.

Clarke placed a hand on her hands and gently dragged them away from her reddening face, smiling knowingly at her before looking at the group. "Alright, enough with the jokes." Gratefully, Lexa kissed the hand that had moved to her shoulder, and instantly regretted it when Clarke added, "She doesn't know what you're talking about."

The table roared with laughter and cheers with the exception of Lexa, who just slumped back in her chair and threw her head back. She didn't deserve this. She truly didn't. When she opened her eyes, she caught the eyes of a boy who looked similarly forlorn at another table. Yeah, she could relate.

One by one, each of them said the things they were thankful for until Lexa and Clarke. She harrumphed when they all looked at her expectantly. She was never good at this kind of stuff; her role was usually to stay quiet and chip into the conversation every once in awhile. But obviously, her friendship with Clarke and Kara had turned her into one of those who was expected to speak up.

Sometimes, she wondered if she should ever let them in at all.

Playing along, she lifted her glass of red wine and worded her sentiment carefully in her head. And then she turned to the blonde next to her with a genuine smile. "I'm thankful that you haven't given up on me yet."

Clarke blinked and then her blue eyes began to shimmer. Oh shit, this was never Lexa's intention. She started to abandon her glass, but Clarke shook her head and leaned closer, so close that she could feel her breathing on her face. "I would never."

"Wow, it's like I'm dead or something," Lena voiced out from across the table.

Anya hummed in agreement, clinking her glass with Lena's in an act of solidarity. "Hoes before sis, I guess."

Lexa drew away from Clarke and turned towards her best friend and sister. "You're dead to me," she deadpanned.

Lena gasped and put a hand to her chest while Anya just sighed and shook her head. "After everything we've been through."

"What about you, Clarke?" Octavia asked. "Come on, let's get it done with so we can start drinking."

Her own glass lifted, she sat back and lifted it in the air as she looked at Lexa, locking her down with a deeply enticing and unnerving gaze. Lexa couldn't look away. "I'm thankful that you let me in and let me take care of you."

Lexa's breath hitched. The hand on her shoulder was still caressing her over the fabric of her flannel. And she couldn't form any coherent thought or word. It felt as if with this exchange, perhaps small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, had shifted something between them – like they both were no longer one foot back from the line.

"Gross."

"Jesus, I shouldn't have asked."

"Oh my god."

"Are they always this disgusting?"

"Are you seeing this? You telling me they're not dating?"

"I'm getting goose bumps."

"Aw, cute."

"Don't encourage them, Kara."

"There are single people here, you guys."

* * *

Going home for Thanksgiving meant staying home until Christmas as well. It meant that she would be in Washington with her foster father, Anya, and Anya's older boyfriend, Gustus, for a week.

Lexa loved her family, she truly did. Titus' home was the seventh home she and Anya were put into, surprising both of them and all of the administration of the system. After all, no one wanted to foster teenage children, one of whom had a rap sheet. But there he was, bald and majestic with the biggest smile on his face and a gentle tone, offering them each a room of their own and sending them to a nice high school to live out the rest of their teenage years. He was entirely devoted to taking care of them, patient with Anya's outburst and Lexa's tendency to only speak less than twenty words a day.

The only time he lost his temper was when Anya was caught at a local bar two days before her eighteenth birthday. And yet, he had never laid a hand on them. The worst he had ever done was ground them for a week and then let them go again.

Eventually, they realized that they were there to stay and Titus was not giving up on them. So Anya toned down on her rebellious streak and Lexa tried to speak more with Titus, playing their parts in creating a stable relationship between him and them. They were too old and too mature to ever be able to call him dad, but he was as close to one as they could ever get.

Lexa didn't know where she'd be without Titus. She shuddered at the thought of it.

Nevertheless, as much as she had enjoyed spending time at home with Titus and being surprised at how old he had gotten, she couldn't help but miss Clarke. They spent time together almost every day, and now that she didn't have Clarke hanging onto her arm and forcing her to socialize all the time, she didn't quite know how to cope with the silence.

It was Lexa's turn to do the dishes on Christmas, which was just cruel and unfair and she let her sister and foster father knew about her displease, but she did her duty anyway, because she was nothing if not responsible. Anya had decided to join her in the kitchen, because her boyfriend and Titus were having some manly time together.

"I just don't understand why you won't kiss her already," Anya suddenly said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Lexa frowned, squirting more soap onto the dirty plate and scrubbing it with the sponge. "Who?" She knew damn well who her sister was talking about.

"Acting dumb does not look good on you."

"Amazing how you can see that from my back."

"So you admit you're acting dumb."

Sure that the plate was clean, she shut off the tap and turned around after stacking it onto the rack. "I don't want to talk about it."

Anya rolled her eyes. "Oh come on."

"I'm fine with how we are."

"Are you going to just pine after her for the rest of your life? Is that you plan on living your life? Single and forever in the friend zone?"

"The concept of friend zone is undermining and not at all –"

"Oh don't give me that bullshit," Anya snapped, starting to look annoyed at her younger sister. Anya got down from the stool at the island and made her way towards the refrigerator, grabbing two bottles of Budweiser and handing one to Lexa. "Don't tell Titus," she muttered as she popped hers open and handed the bottle opener to Lexa. "It's been two years."

"No, it hasn't."

"Technicalities," Anya dismissed. "Are you just acting blind or do you really not see that the girl is head over heels for you?"

Lexa clenched her jaw. It wasn't that she didn't see it, because it was clear as day. She could see it in the way Clarke was always so angry and anxious whenever she was injured; when Clarke refused to attend a party without Lexa by her side and would always leave when Lexa was burned out; the way Clarke was always there whenever she had down days and she just needed to be comfortable in her own room with Netflix and salty chips; the way Clarke looked at her like she hanged the moon and sun.

"We have a good thing going right now," Lexa refuted lamely, playing the label on her bottle. "I don't want to ruin that."

"Do you remember when I met Gustus?"

The younger Woods groaned. "You wouldn't stop talking about him."

Anya pushed her, and she pushed her sister back. "And now here we are." Lexa smiled, starting to peel off the label she had been playing with. "You can have that. Or what Lena and Kara have. You don't have to…spend all that time with her and wonder what it feels like to call her your girlfriend. You can go the movies and make out in the back rows. You can have quickies in the bathroom. And you don't need to feel guilty about those because it will be official."

"What kind of name is Gustus?"

Anya gave her a bored look. "I know what you're doing."

"Look at you, dating an older man. I think Titus almost had a seizure. He actually asked me if you're back to your rebellious days again."

"What? When?"

"When you brought him home during summer break."

"What'd you tell him?"

Lexa shrugged, starting to inch away from Anya to gain some distance. She needed a good escape plan for what she was going to say next. When she was sure that there was a safe distance between them for her to be able to escape without getting caught, she said, "Told him the truth. You're not only doing weed now. Cocaine and heroin, the sorts. Gustus isn't the only guy you have. There are Harold, Joshua, Natalie, and Ingrid. I think I told him about Fiona too. Oh, and that one time I had to bail you out of jail for vandalism."

Her giggles quickly shifted into a yelp when the look of horror on Anya's face turned murderous. She leaped away and started running, taking the steps two at a time as she made an ascent up the stairs. Anya was getting closer. Thank god her room was only by the staircase, so she slammed the door close behind her and locked it for good measure; Anya was pounding on it on the other side.

"You're dead!" Anya exclaimed.

"Only if you catch me first!"

"Open the door, you brat!"

"That vandalism thing was true though!"

"It was for the greater good!"

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"What on god's green earth is going on?" Titus yelled from downstairs.

Anya growled and pounded on the door one last time. "Whatever your youngest told you, they're not true," was the first thing she said as her voice grew farther.

Lexa was sure that tomorrow morning wasn't going to end well for her, but it was worth it. She flopped down onto her bed and sighed, pulling a pillow close to her chest and looked out the window.

That few moments of laughter with Anya had taken her mind off things, but now that she was alone, her brain was operating full force again. She closed her eyes and there Clarke was. She wasn't watching or listening to anything but Clarke's laugher echoed in her ears. She could smell the baby powder on her pillow but there was also Clarke's shampoo lingering in her nostrils. Goddamn it.

She grunted and rolled to her front, burying her face in her fluffy pillow in a vain attempt on muffling her imaginary senses, because Clarke wasn't here. If anything, it only serve to drive her crazier, everything attacking all at one with no rest and no interruptions. When did she turn into _such_ a _sap_?

A familiar ringtone rang in her pocket, shocking her out of her almost snooze fest. She jumped and grabbed for her phone, not waiting a second to pick up the call when she saw who it was. She made herself comfortable in her bed and smiled.

"If I die tomorrow, please get rid of all my Friends box sets before Anya can get her hands on them," she said in the form of greeting.

Clarke snorted. "You shouldn't have done what you did."

She narrowed her eyes. "Wait, what did I do?"

"I told Anya to tell me when it's appropriate to call you tonight. And she told me what you told Titus. Lying is bad, Lexa," Clarke teased.

Alright, her sister could have her box sets and kill her tomorrow morning. "You colluded with my sister," she observed.

"I didn't want to interrupt family time."

"You still colluded with my sister."

"I mean, I could hang up. It's no big deal," Clarke said airily.

"Wait, no!" She could already see Clarke grinning like a Cheshire cat back home in LA. "You guys are so mean." She pouted.

"I wonder what our friends would say if they know that you could pout."

"Lena and Kara saw it many times."

"I have pictures."

Lexa sat up straight. "Delete them."

Clarke giggled. "They're too precious. I will never."

"Clarke," Lexa whined, falling back onto her piles of pillows.

"I have videos and sound bites of that too."

"Oh my god."

"You better be nice to me from now on."

"I've always been nice to you."

"Yes, you have." There was silence for awhile, and then Clarke said, "I miss you."

Lexa opened her eyes to look at the ceiling. The fan was not turned on. The heater was humming near her closet. Her room was dark apart from the moonlight that shimmered in through the window, illuminating the framed photo of Lexa and Clarke that she took everywhere with her. There were also photos of her and Lena, her and Kara, her with all the other three, and others, but that one of her and Clarke, she could never not bring it with her.

"It's lonely here without you."

* * *

After Christmas came New Year. The active ones of the gang had taken it upon themselves to plan a New Year trip over the weekend to Atlanta, while the passive ones just stayed back and waited for instructions for what to pack and what to do. They traveled to Atlanta on budget plane tickets and stayed in a hotel near Stone Mountain for easy commute.

On New Year's Eve, they had already booked a spot for themselves on the wide field. Bellamy and Raven had volunteered to bring the booze, while Clarke and Kara appointed themselves the parents of the group, although Lexa and Lena knew they would end up being the ones to take care of the rest of them. Two hours before midnight, the rest of the group had gone off to grab snacks from the various booths that had been set up around the perimeter, leaving Lexa and Lena to guard their spots.

"I feel like I haven't talked to you in so long," Lena said.

Lexa nudged her shoulder against Lena's. "You're still my best friend." She didn't say it much, but Lena needed the reassurance sometimes, and Lexa was more than willing to give it. "That won't change."

Lena smiled. "You too." She looked around them, taking note of the backpacks and the books and the devices that belonged to their companions. "Did you ever think that we'd end up here?" Lena didn't just mean this trip; she meant the whole thing – the friends, the conversations, the companionship, the ever expanding social circle.

"I'm pretty sure we'd be banned from the library if these people join us," Lexa said.

Her best friend laughed. "I miss it sometimes. The quiet, the books, just us."

Lexa nodded in agreement. She was still not used to the people, to be honest. Whenever her phone alerted her of a text from any one of them, she would still be surprised. There were times when Raven or Maggie would ask her to grab a light lunch and she would still be reluctant to accept their invitation.

Sometimes, it'd get too loud and she'd retreat to the library, joining Lena or the other way around. They were still getting used to people actually caring about them and not wanting to take advantage of them. She suspected that she wouldn't ever get used to it for the rest of her life. Conditional grooming, she supposed.

Nevertheless, "Kara makes you happy." As did Clarke with her. It was just the way things were now, and the two of them wouldn't be able to shake off their friends no matter how hard they tried.

"She does." Lena wrapped her arm around Lexa in a side hug. "Seriously, thank you. I know you don't want to take credit, but I'm pretty sure Kara and I wouldn't be where we are if not for you."

Lexa scowled slightly but leaned into the hug anyway. "I didn't do anything," she grumbled.

The raven haired girl chuckled, tightening her arm around the brunette. "Yeah, you keep saying that."

"I don't want to be the maid of honor at your wedding."

"No way. You're taking that role."

"What is this?" They looked up to see Clarke and Kara scowling at them, holding a ton of snacks in their arms. Clarke turned to Kara with an affronted expression. "Can you believe this? We're out there doing the hard work and they're here having a hug fest."

Kara huffed. "Yeah, I know right." She turned back to the pair sitting on the mat. "I want to get in on this hug fest too."

"Exactly!" Clarke exclaimed.

"What hug fest?" Bellamy asked as he approached them, arm in arm with Raven.

"Look at them!"

The new duo observed them and Raven shook her head, righteous expression firmly set. "Nuh-uh, this ain't right. You two are not being fair."

"Are you two hugging on New Year's Eve without us?" Octavia asked, coming from behind Lexa and Lena with Lincoln.

"This ain't right, y'all," Maggie suddenly said, appearing out of nowhere with Alex.

"What's happening here?" Winn asked. The rest of them pointed at the culprits, who were really just sitting there taking it all. "Yo, what is this? On New Year's Eve? Don't be selfish."

Lexa and Lena were just numb. They turned to each other, shared a knowing look, and then with resigned sighs in unison, extended their free arms. In an instance, their accusers had dropped the things they were carrying and crowded up to them, huddling them in the middle and making cooing noises.

Yep, here they were, Lexa and Lena, two of the most unfriendly people in National University, the top two most mysterious people in the yearbooks, in a group hug. The Lexa from before would have gagged and the Lena from before would have swatted them away, but right now, they just took it, because really, they didn't mind it that much. The library was the furthest thing away from their minds.

* * *

 _Ten_.

"You know."

 _Nine._

"I've been waiting for this since that morning on the soccer field."

 _Eight._

"The day Lena and Kara went out on their first date."

 _Seven_.

"I don't think I've ever been so patient in my life."

 _Six_.

"To be honest, I almost said fuck it."

 _Five._

"But I knew it had to be special."

 _Four_.

"Because you deserve special."

 _Three._

"You deserve everything good in this world."

 _Two_.

"Because you are the best."

 _One._

And then Clarke leaned in to kiss her. And Lexa could feel the fireworks that were exploding above them right now erupting in her brain. She had imagined it so many times, dreamt of it and thought of it, but none of those fantasies had prepared her for this. This gentle heat that spread in her stomach, this softness pressed against her, and this gratification that slithered around her nerves. It was beyond comparison, beyond imagination.

"Oh my god."

"Bellamy, Bellamy, look!"

"Finally."

"Cough up, all of you."

"I'm taking a picture of this for the yearbook. Everyone at NCU needs to know it's finally happened."

"Clarke, you fucking sap."

When Clarke leaned back, there was a dazed look in her eyes. Lexa was sure she carried the same expression. And then Clarke smiled. "Happy new year, Lexa Woods."

The brunette stared at her for a long while, numb and frozen, still unable to believe that it actually happened, that Clarke actually kissed her. Despite the shouts and cheers from the people who had come to watch the fireworks at Stone Mountain as well, it was quiet around them, everyone hanging on a thread and waiting for Lexa to react.

And then she smiled, slithered an arm around Clarke's waist, pulled her closer, said, "Happy New Year, Clarke Griffin," and kissed her again.

* * *

Two weeks after they went back to NCU, there was a huge poster of them kissing hanging outside the gym. It was definitely Raven's handiwork.

* * *

 **because lena and lexa deserve all the hugs in the world and i love them very very much and they're so precious and i hate cw**

 **also, i'm really enjoying writing for this universe, so if y'all have any prompts for it, hit me up on my tumblr at overcanary!**


End file.
